Boulder Station Casino Las Vegas

Boulder Station, which is located just a few blocks north of Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, is northeast of McCarran International Airport, while the mega-resorts on the Strip are to the northwest. Some of the Station Casinos in the Las Vegas area — like Texas Station — are a bit of a drive from the airport, but Boulder casino isn't one of them. It's about a 10- to 15-minute trip.

• Visitors arriving at McCarran Airport will head north on Swenson Street and east on Tropicana Avenue to Interstate 515. Exit at Boulder Highway with the casino right across the street.

• Travelers heading northeast from California will exit Interstate 15 at I-515 and head southeast from downtown Las Vegas to the Boulder Highway exit.

• Boulder Station does not currently offer a shuttle service to and from the airport.

Like most local casinos that are not on the Las Vegas Strip, parking is free at the resort's open-air and covered lots. Boulder Station offers hundreds of spaces around the property with easy access to the hotel, casino, and sportsbook.

• The five-floor parking garage entrance can be accessed off Lamb Boulevard, along the side of the casino.

• There is a covered but unenclosed walkway to the casino on the second floor of the parking garage.

• A car wash is located on the first floor of the parking garage. It's open Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Las Vegas is getting more expensive to visit every year with parking fees, resort fees, airport taxes and higher costs for restaurants and shows. Most visitors will seek out ways to save money at every opportunity, and one of the best bets for your trip is to use rideshare programs as much as possible. There are other public transportation choices like a taxi or city bus, but the benefits of these options don't compare to Uber or Lyft.

• Download the free rideshare program apps Uber and Lyft to your mobile device. The cost of a ride is about half to two-thirds of the taxi service. Pick up your rideshare on the second level of the parking garage at the airport.

• Price your trip to Boulder Station on both Uber and Lyft before completing your transaction. It will cost about $20 for a ride on either service from the airport to the hotel.

• There is always a long queue of taxis waiting at the airport outside the main terminal. The cost for a ride to Boulder Station is about $35 — about double the cost of rideshare when you add in a tip.

• Limousine services are available with the going rate around $85-90 an hour.

• Boulder Station is a neighborhood casino on the main Boulder Highway Express (BHX) transit route, but using city buses will require a lot of time to travel around the city.

• A bus pass is $6 for two hours, $8 for 24 hours, and $20 for three days. Visitors should use the BHX route to head downtown or Route 203 to travel to the Strip.

One reviewer of the Broiler inside the casino Boulder Station called it "a gem that seems to be undiscovered." The steak and seafood dining spot is just one of 11 restaurants that offer guests a wide range of cuisines.

Here are a few of the other eateries at Boulder Station:

• Guadalajara means authentic Mexican fare with $8 lunch specials and $5 margaritas.

• Classic simple Mexican dishes are made to order at Viva Salsa, but at a lower cost than the adjacent Guadalajara.

• One reviewer says the Feast Buffet is as good as some of the eateries on the Strip but at a better price. It's $15 for dinner without a player's card. That's less than half the cost on the Strip.

Boulder Station also has five bar options on-site. Here is a small sampling:

• Located across from the main hotel lobby, the Havana Lounge features premier cigars and a late-night happy hour.

• Brewers Bar is one of the local's little secrets with 12 different beers on tap and nightly drink promotions.

Station Casinos, including Boulder Station, have the same rewards card for all 10 of its Las Vegas locations.

It's called my BoardingPass where cardholders earn points for casino play, horse and sports wagers, and poker. But your points and status credits also pile up on everything you spend money on at any Station resort, including restaurants, bars, concerts, bowling alleys, movie theaters, hotel stays, and spa experiences.

Membership is free to join at any of the Station Casinos resorts.

The entry-level status is called Preferred. From there, cardholders graduate to higher levels like Gold, Platinum, President, and Chairman. Points are accumulated from January 1 to June 30, and from July 1 through December 31. You keep your status for the remainder of the six months, plus the next six.

The higher levels earn resort and cruise discounts, plus many other privileges and free play.

The resort's 90,000-square-foot gaming area features more than 2,200 video poker and slot machines, 44 table games, 70-seat keno lounge, and a bingo hall. There's also a 10-table Boulder Station poker room.

One positive feature newcomers will like at the Boulder casino is the low minimums. Players can wager as little as $5 at live blackjack and baccarat, and $3 at craps and roulette. Here are some other Las Vegas gaming features at table games on the casino floor:

• Five different types of blackjack, with the dealer hitting on a soft 17 at all of them.

• The main draw is the double-deck blackjack.

• Three craps tables with 10 times odds. The field pays double on a roll of 12.

• There are also three roulette tables with the standard 0-00 set of zeroes.

Other table offerings in the gaming area include Pai Gow Poker, High Card Flush, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, and Three Card Poker.

Boulder Station is also home to some of the best video pokers in the Las Vegas area. Some of the machines boast a return of more than 100 percent on max bet. Omaha HiLo is the main draw in the poker room, but there are a few games of Texas Hold'em during peak hours.

Complimentary drink service is quite generous at the Boulder on the casino floor. A tip is recommended if you expect good service and free drinks to continue.

Boulder Station and its 300-room hotel are geared towards the budget traveler with room rates during the week starting around $35. The cost tends to double or triple on the weekend, depending on the time of the year. The resort earns a 3.9 out of five rating on TripAdvisor, based on more than 4,500 reviews.

• All rooms, with one king or two queen beds, are non-smoking. Expect a $22 per day resort fee added on at the end of your stay.

• Deluxe rooms offer WiFi, fridges, 40-inch flat-screen TVs with cable, and free weekday newspapers.

• The last of five renovations on the 16-story building was completed in 2011.

• Up to three children stay free using existing bedding. A rollaway bed is available for $15 a night, but cribs are free.

• Hotel guests also have access to a 24-hour fitness center and an outdoor pool.